Originally Posted by
sdsearch
Well, they do a good job of hiding it. I've applied for a bunch of Alaska cards over the last few years, and never have I gotten any information about this. And without knowing that it has PIN, I wouldn't know the PIN (since I never use credit cards for cash advance), and without knowing the PIN, how could I possibly use it?
So is Visa discouraging banks from
mentioning that they support PIN when they do?
To BofA's credit, they
actually do talk about it now, though you have to dig a little for the linked page:
When traveling outside the U.S., some card readers at unattended terminals (such as public transportation kiosks, gas pumps) will require a PIN. In these situations, enter the credit card PIN assigned to your card. Some international self-service terminals do not accept U.S. issued credit cards and may display a message such as "Transaction Canceled". This is known to happen on French Toll Roads or Automated Fuel Dispensers depending on location. In these cases, please locate an attended terminal to complete your transaction, or plan for an alternative payment method, such as local currency.
On rare occasions, you may be asked to provide a PIN to complete a purchase. If prompted for a PIN, enter the credit card PIN that was assigned to your card when the account was opened. If you do not have the PIN, you may request a new one by calling the number on the back your card or through Online Banking. Your new, randomly generated PIN will be mailed to you along with a form that allows you to choose your own PIN if you desire. Please allow 7-10 days for delivery of your PIN through standard USPS mail.
Considering how their cards are set up, it's very possible that you'll never be asked for the PIN--especially if you only use the card domestically--so having that info available was likely low priority.
Originally Posted by
alggag
Argh, that's another grievance of mine. I've had my card number stolen four different times over the years and all four times happened at home and I'm 99% sure the card was skimmed by the waiter when they disappeared with it. Why, why, why can't we do like just about everywhere else in the world and have the waiter bring the card reader to you instead?
One of the restaurants located in SAN brought the terminal to me the other day, actually. That sort of thing will probably be very uncommon outside of areas where foreign cards are common though (like airports).